What Do You Want Christ To Do For You?

April 13, 1985|by REV. JOSEPH MOHR, The Morning Call

Suppose Christ were suddenly to confront you and ask, "What do you want me to do for you?" That same question was asked by Jesus of a blind beggar who called for help. The man had only one urgent problem, the restoration of his sight. What most urgent request would you make if you had the assurance of obtaining it?

Before you make up your mind, remember King Midas who thought nothing would please him more than that everything he touched should turn into gold. His wish was literally granted. Everything, including food, loved one, turned to gold, which was more than he had anticipated. And he regretted having made so thoughtlessly a request.

Or, think of this question Jesus asked of a man who had been ill for 38 years: "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6) A 38-year illness can become a permanent item in anybody's lifestyle. It can become a conversation piece that elicits comforting help and sympathy from relatives and friends and neighbors. A sudden cure of a 38-year-old complaint can be psychologically and socially quite upsetting.Jesus' question was intended to make the man think twice before he made up his mind.

Many an aged person has prayed, on what ordinarily would have been the death bed, for a miraculous extension of life. He or she wanted death to come at a more convenient time. Miraculously the wish was granted and life was extended for, maybe, years. The person spent those years, tedious years, in bed or on a wheelchair where he or she had much time to wonder if it had not been better if the Lord had not taken the sufferer at the original time. Not only was the suffering prolonged but the family's entire resources were eaten up by a nursing home.

So think carefully. A wish to live too, too long may seem good at the moment, but it can lead to complications unforeseen. Many people expect many things from God. Some want an errand boy. Others want an improvement of their lifestyle and the preservation of the nation's status quo. Happiness and success are near the top of the list of requests, with plenty of this world's goods at the very top. Even God Himself at times becomes weary with human begging. Imagine the Eternal thinking to himself: "I organized this cosmos the best way I knew how. Laid down laws and orders by which I expected things to operate and with which people ought to comply. But, according to what I hear, my children have ideas of their own. Most don't like the way I do things. Winters are too cold, summers too hot. Rain spoils too many weekends. So this is what I'll do: I'll let people run the world for one year, and we'll see what happens."

But the experiment turned out to be a failure. After but one day God had to take over because the disagreements among people were even more diverse than when God had been in complete control. Should we stop praying and merely accept everything that comes our way? No, we'll keep onpraying because we're incurably religious. But we'll try to be more careful and be less rash about asking for things unreasonable for which we'll be sorry, as was King Midas.

The blind beggar got what he wanted, but not everybody in the Bible got what was wanted. Two men asked to sit, one on the right hand and the other on the left of the throne of glory in heaven, but they were told that their request was not appropriate. There are many things God won't do for us no matter how hard we pray.

Christ prayed in Gethsemane that His life might be spared but the cross required His obedience. He was tempted as we are. He said that in this world we'll have trials and tribulations. Being a follower of Christ doesn't mean we can expect not to bear our cross. He never promised perpetual happiness and success in this world. What God really wants to do for us may not seem glamorous enough to most. He can change the covetous, vain wretch into a kind and useful person; give power to resist many evils; forgive those who are penitent. The best we can ask for is the continuous presence of the Spirit of God in our lives, for though we walk through the valley of evil and suffering and death, we fear no evil when He is with us.